Customers try the Samsung Galaxy S23 smartphone in Bengaluru, India
South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. solidified its dominance in the Indian smartphone market, capturing the largest revenue share in the third quarter.
According to the latest research from Counterpoint Technology Market Research’s Monthly India Smartphone Tracker, Samsung had a 22.8% value share of the market.
Apple Inc. came in second with a 21.6% market share, supported by strong shipments of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 series.
Chiana’s Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi captured the third, fourth and fifth spots in terms of value.
(Courtesy of Counterpoint Research)
Samsung, also the top player last year, saw its share of revenue increase by 0.2 percentage point from the third quarter of 2023, while Apple’s share fell by 0.2 percentage point.
“Samsung currently leads the market in terms of value. The brand has been prioritizing its flagship Galaxy S series and enhancing its value-driven portfolio,” said Counterpoint Senior Research Analyst Prachir Singh.
“Samsung is also integrating Galaxy AI features into its mid-range and affordable premium models in the A series, encouraging consumers to upgrade to higher price segments,” he said.
(Courtesy of Counterpoint Research)
AI FEATURES AVAILABLE ON SAMSUNG BUDGET PHONES
In terms of volume, Samsung ranked third with a 15.8% market share.
Vivo sold the most in the July-September quarter, garnering a 19.4% market share, followed by Xiaomi at 16.7%.
“Vivo maintained healthy inventory levels throughout the year, supported by a diverse product portfolio and the successful expansion of its T series,” said Shubham Singh, Counterpoint Research analyst.
The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE boasts full AI capabilities and powerful performance of its high-end S24 series
Although Samsung lagged behind Chinese brands in terms of sales volume, it maintained the No. 1 market share by revenue, driven by increased sales of high-end premium products like the Galaxy S series.
“The market is increasingly shifting toward value growth, fueled by a premiumization trend,” said analyst Prachir Singh.
In August, Samsung said it will apply its Circle to Search function, previously available on its premium Galaxy S series smartphones, to the more affordable Galaxy A series smartphones, to fend off Chinese competitors, which are increasingly encroaching on Samsung’s turf in the low-cost phone segment.
The AI-enabled Circle to Search function, jointly developed with Google Inc., was first installed on Samsung’s high-end Galaxy S24 launched earlier this year.
Indian consumers test the Samsung Galaxy S24 smartphone at Samsung BKC, the firm’s consumer experience center in Mumbai
Circle to Search is one of the most notable features of the Galaxy S24 series.
It enables users to find real-time information about a product or a person appearing on the Galaxy S24 screen by drawing a circle around an image.
Meanwhile, India’s smartphone shipments grew by 3% year-on-year in the third quarter, with the value surging by a 12% to reach an all-time high for a single quarter, according to Counterpoint Research.
By Eui-Myung Park
uimyung@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.
